Minis
Mini Copy Book

Each post in this section is a short précis (summary) of a passage in The Copy Book. All of them are in modern English. They are intended for students of English as a Foreign Language at Elementary Level.

Lives of the Saints

The Beautiful Side of the Picture

Heathen prince Boris I of Bulgaria (r. 852–889) commissioned St Methodius to paint an impressive scene for his palace walls.

Length: 119 words

The Hundred Years’ War

‘Let the boy earn his spurs!’

At the Battle of Crécy in 1346, the English army was trying out a new military tactic under the command of a sixteen-year-old boy.

Length: 112 words

Bible Stories Retold

Samson’s Riddle

The Israelites under Philistia’s rule might have blended with their heathen masters had not Samson kept stirring up trouble.

Length: 117 words

Railways

The Bluebell Line

The Bluebell line in Sussex was the first failing British Railways line to be taken over by volunteers.

Length: 115 words

Discovery and Invention

The Hollow Blade Sword Company

Seventeenth-century German craftsmen came seeking a land of opportunity, and found it in County Durham.

Length: 109 words

Modern History

The Battle of Waterloo

Napoleon’s idea of government was so oppressive that Wellington’s victory is one of the most important events in European history.

Length: 111 words